Tool



T. E. BRINTON June 4, 1940.

TOOL

Filed Dec. 10, 1937 Patented June 4, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

The present invention relates generally to tools and is particularly concerned with wrenches for automotive work and the like, especially for adjusting valve tappets or lifters.

In internal combustion engines, such as automobile motors, the inlet and exhaust valves are operated by cams acting through valve tap-pets or lifters against the lower ends of the valve stems, or the valve rods in the case of overhead valves. Usually each of the valve lifters is provided with an adjusting screw which may be adjusted to secure the correct clearance or engagement between the valve stem or rod and the adjusting screw when the valve is closed, and these adjusting screws generally have lock nuts by which the desired adjustment may be retained. The valve lifters are generally freely rotatable in the guide in which they move so as to distribute the wear on the lower ends of the lifters occasioned by the action of the actuating cams against the lifters. In order to enable the mechanic to hold a lifter against turning when loosening the lock nut and adjusting the lifter screw the lifters are formed with flattened wrench receiving portions.

Heretofore, the adjustment of valve lifters on certain types of automobile engines required the simultaneous use of three wrenches. As is obvious, this handling of three wrenches made accurate adjustment difficult, for frequently the setting up of the lock nut disturbed the position of the adjusting screw, which the mechanic could no longer hold because the valve lifter had to be held with one wrench and the lock nut had 35 to be handled with another wrench.

One object of the present invention is the provision of a tool which is constructed and arranged to automatically hold a valve lifter against turning, thereby relieving the operator of that duty 40 so as to permit him to handle one wrench for the adjusting screw and another for the lock nut, thus appreciably increasing the ease and rapidity with which valve lifters or tappets can be adjusted.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a tool that is especially adapted to engage two parts, preferably but not necessarily under spring pressure, so as to hold one against turning relative to the other. A further object of the invention is the provision of a tool which includes two pivotally interconnected wrench sections arranged to engage two adjacent valve lifters so as to hold either of them from turning when the lock nut or adjusting screw of either is turned to adjust the same.

A still further object of this invention is the provision of a tool of this character which is easy I to insert and use.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the following description of my invention, taken in conjunctionv with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a preferred form of wrench constructed in accordance with the principles of my invention, showing the same in use with two valve lifters of an engine;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the wrench shown in V Figure 1, and illustrating the manner in which 15 the wrench is applied to a pair of valve lifters;

Figure 3 is a section taken along the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a perspective of one of the two identical wrench sections making up the wrench shown in Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary View of a modified form of wrench.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 1 to 4, I indicates the valve lifter guide structure of an automobile internal combustion engine. A plurality of valve lifters or tappets 2 are mounted .for both rotary and reciprocatory movement in suitable apertured guides 4. The lower end of each of the lifters 2 is arranged to be engaged by the cams of a cam shaft (not shown), and the upper end of each lifter has two flattened sides 5 (Fig. 2) to receive the jaws of a wrench.

An adjusting screw 8 is threaded into a tapped opening 9 extending down into each lifter 2 and has a hexagonal head H) which is raised into operative engagement with a depending valve stem H during the rotation of the cam shaft. The clearance between the lower end of the valve stem H and its lifter is adjusted by turning the adjusting screw 8 up or down, according to whether it is desired to increase or decrease the clarance. A lock nut I2 is generally provided to retain any desired adjustment of the adjusting screw 8.

The preferred form of wrench or tool that is constructed according to the principles of the present invention is indicated in its entirety in Figure 1 by the reference numeral 20 and in cludes two identical comparatively long wrench sections 2|, one of which is shown in Figure 4. Each wrench section has a spanner head 22 at one end in the form of two laterally extending jaws 23, and an ear or lug 24 with an aperture 25 at the other end. As best indicated in Figure 4, the apertured lug or ear of each wrench section 2| extends from one edge of the section and substantially flush with one side thereof, and has a thickness in the order of one-half of the thickness of the section 2|, which leaves a recessed portion 28 and an edge 29 at the other side of the wrench section. The end of each section 2| having the ear 24 is also provided with an extended spring-receiving projection 30 having a spring holding notch 3| formed therein. At the opposite end the spanner head 22 is flattened at the back of the section, as indicated at 33, so that the back of the spanner head is co-extensive with the edge of the section 2|.

The completed wrench or tool 20 is made up of two wrench sections 2| suitably pivoted together, and this is preferably done by bringing two identical wrench sections 2| together in back-to-back relation with their apertured lugs or ears 24 overlapping one another and with the recess 28 of one section receiving the ear 24 of the other, in the manner indicated in Figure 3. A rivet 35 is the preferred form of pivot, and is loosely mounted in both of the ears so as to permit free pivoting of the wrench sections to carry the spanner heads toward and away from one another. A spring 3'! having loop ends 38 and 3S engaging the notches 3| is arranged to bias the sections 2| for movement away from one another. When the edge 29 of each section engages the adjacent portion of the other section further pivoting of the sections is stopped, and hence these parts serve to limit the action of the springs.

When it is desired to adjust one or more of the valve lifters the tool 26 is grasped so as to bring the sections 2| together in back-to-back relation, with the flattened portions 33 in engagement, as shown in full lines in Figure 2, and then one of the spanner heads is engaged with the fiattened sides of one of the valve lifters 8 and the tool 20 swung slightly so as to bring the other spanner head into a position to engage the flattened sides 5 of the other valve lifter, as shown in full lines in Figure 2. The sections 2| are then released and the spring 3? acts to swing the other spanner head into engagement with the other valve lifter, as shown in dotted lines in Figure 2. The action of the spring 3'! and the engagement of both of the spanner heads with the adjacent valve lifters serve to automatically hold the tool 29 in position without further attention on the part of the mechanic, thereby leaving his hands "free to handle other wrenches in releasing the lock nut i2, adjusting the valve lifter adjusting screw 8 and then tightening the lock nut |2 to retain the adjustment. Specifically, the mechanics hands are free so that he can hold a wrench W for turning the adjusting screw 8 in one hand and another wrench (not shown) for turning the lock nut l2. In this way, there is no possibility, so long as the operator retains hold of the wrench W, that setting up the lock nut l2 will disturb the adjustment of the screw 8. Also, since the mechanic is free to manipulate both the lock nut l2 and the adjusting screw 8 whenever desired, the task of adjusting the valve clearance is appreciably facilitated. It is to be noted that for one setting of the tool 20, two valve lifters may be adjusted before it is necessary to move the tool to another position.

In Figure 5 another form of pivot connecting means between the wrench sections is shown. In Figure 5 the two wrench sections are indicated at 2|a, and each has its end apertured to receive a rivet 50. A link 5| extends transversely of the wrench sections 2|a and is pivoted thereto by the rivets 50. If desired, there may be a link on each side of the sections 2|a. The ends of the latter are formed, as at 52, to serve to limit the outward swinging of the sections.

While I have shown and described two preferred forms of the present invention, it is to be understood that my invention is not to be limited to the details shown and described, but that, in fact, widely difierent means may be employed in the practice of the broader aspects of my invention.

What I claim, therefore, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A holding tool comprising two side by side relatively movable levers pivotally connected together at one end and having oppositely facing spanner heads at their opposite ends, and means for limiting the angular movement of the levers from a position substantially parallel to one another to a position substantially less than 90 to one another.

2. A holding tool comprising two side by side relatively movable levers pivotally connected together at one end and having oppositely facing spanner heads at their opposite ends for simultaneous engagement with two non-coaxial rotatable members to lock them against relative rotation, means for limiting the angular movement of the levers from a position substantially parallel to one another to a position substantially 90 to one another, and spring means for urging each of said levers to move with respect to the other in a direction towards engagement with its ro- 'tatable member.

3. A tool for adjusting valve lifters and the like, comprising two wrench sections, each having at one end a laterally outwardly facing spanner head, and means pivotally connecting the other ends of said wrench sections together so as to provide for insertion of the tool between two adjacent valve lifters, spring means acting against said Wrench sections to swing said laterally iacing spanner heads into engagement with said lifters to hold the latter against turning, and means for limiting the swinging of said wrench sections under the action of said spring means to an angle substantialy less than 90.

4. A tool for adjusting valve lifters and the like, comprising two wrench sections, each having at one end a laterally facing spanner head, and means pivotally connecting the other ends of said wrench sections together so as to provide for positioning of the tool in engagement with two adjacent valve lifters, spring means acting against said wrench sections to urge said laterally facing spanner heads toward engagement with said lifters to hold the tool on the lifters and hold the lifters against turning, and means [or limiting the swinging of said wrench sections about the pivotal connection under the action of said spring means to an angle substantially less than 90.

THOMAS E. BRINTON. 

